Last update - 00:00 02/08/2007
Winograd Cmte. rejects PM request for full access to material
By Yuval Azoulay, Amos Harel and Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent
The Winograd Committee on the Second Lebanon War on Wednesday rejected a request by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to have access to the full content of the material gathered in its hearings.
The panel charged with investigating the handling of the war claimed it had already transferred sufficient evidence and testimonies gathered in its hearings to Olmert's office and the Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff.
Olmert specifically asked to see material that was censored that he claims he has not received.
The committee also told Olmert's attorney, Eli Zohar, that panel members are willing to examine specific requests the prime minister may have regarding pieces of evidence that are not at his disposal.
The committee has yet to reach a decision regarding former defense minister Amir Peretz's request to grant him a hearing before it releases its final report, so that he may respond to potentially damaging findings.
Meanwhile, the military defense attorney's office asked the High Court of Justice Wednesday to require the Winograd Committee to protect the rights of soldiers and officers liable to be harmed by the panel's findings.
The petition, which was filed after an extensive back-and-forth between the army's chief defense attorney and the chairman of the committee, is meant to ensure that the officers get the chance to defend themselves before the final report is released.
The committee will reconvene only in September in order to allow time for officers potentially harmed by the findings to prepare their defense.